{"id":385559,"date":"2025-11-17T16:18:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/385559\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T16:18:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:18:09","slug":"new-slice-shop-and-arcade-bar-opening-in-tempe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/385559\/","title":{"rendered":"New slice shop and arcade bar opening in Tempe"},"content":{"rendered":"

With its trademark New York-style pies, craveable smash burgers and skateboard-meets-pinball flair, Night Owl Pizza & Drinks<\/a> is landing in a new part of the Valley.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pizza and beer hotspot\u2019s second location will open its doors in Tempe on Wednesday, less than two miles from Arizona State University.<\/p>\n

The first location opened in Scottsdale on Hayden and McDowell roads in 2023 and fans of the original Night Owl can expect to find the same amenities that they\u2019ve come to love.<\/p>\n

The menu will boast next-level comfort food, beers on tap and cocktails. A room of pinball machines and throwback games begs patrons to kick back for a little friendly competition. Lit-up pinball fields serve as bartops, a wall of pinball machine backboxes highlights the bar and well-loved skateboard decks are composed to create vibrant works of art throughout.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s the latest restaurant concept to move into the iconic neighborhood space on South Mill Avenue and Alameda Drive. The 1977 building was most recently home to The Golden Pineapple, and before that, housed Tempe staple Riazzi\u2019s Italian Garden for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The space appealed to Genuine Concepts co-founder and Night Owl partner Tucker Woodbury, who has an affinity for history and classic architecture. His goal was to honor and preserve its historical elements while breathing new life into a vintage space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never get nervous about repurposing a building that has a soul,\u201d Woodbury says. \u201cIt\u2019s got an \u2018if these walls could talk\u2019 thing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are a few features that are unique to Tempe. A larger wine selection offers 14 by-the-glass options and the cocktail list includes adult slushy concoctions. Look for rotating pasta specials, too. A non-functioning jukebox hides a station where DJ\u2019s will set up and spin tunes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Above the main dining room, a miniature train circulates on an elevated track, pulling boxcars painted by graffiti artists, with one paying tribute to the artist who went viral for his signature work in Tempe as \u201cPenis Man<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 5,500-square-foot space accommodates 208 diners inside and 75 on the dog-friendly patio, which flaunts umbrellas, flat-screen TVs, a fireplace and a welcoming ficus tree.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Night Owl will open daily at 11 a.m., and close at midnight or 1 a.m. Count on being able to grab a slice \u2018til close.<\/p>\n

The concept is a collaboration from the teams behind The Little Woody<\/a> and Stardust Pinbar<\/a>. Along with Woodbury, Chuckie Duff and Ariel Bracamonte are partners in the project. They are known for a bevy of nightlife hubs, including Cobra Arcade Bar. Operating partner Logan Purser handles Night Owl\u2019s day-to-day operations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Purser and Woodbury collaborated on details that pay homage to the history of the building and the establishments that previously called it home.<\/p>\n

The pasta specials honor Riazzi\u2019s Italian Garden, which moved into that building in 1989. It closed in 2017, after operating for a total of 72 years in the Valley.<\/p>\n

The Golden Pineapple, a cocktail at Night Owl that tops the painkiller recipe of rum, coconut, orange and pineapple with fernet, is a tribute to The Golden Pineapple Craft Lounge. The popular watering hole for Tempe residents and the ASU crowd operated in the building for three years before closing in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Purser was looking at old photos of Riazzi\u2019s, he spotted brass rails along the seating in the dining room. He knew they needed to make a comeback.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just thought they were so cool, so I ordered them,\u201d Purser says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In those photos, he also noticed a tufted circular booth and table that was in the center of the restaurant. Purser replicated that scene in a nook off the main dining room.<\/p>\n

The table is made with reclaimed wood from Golden Pineapple\u2019s bartop, as is the wood at the hostess stand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The decor spans skateboards, tchotchkes and the largest collection of inanimate owls you\u2019ll ever see. The pieces are a mix of inventory from Woodbury\u2019s garage, his personal storage and his other restaurants. Purser, Cowtown Skateboards and Sidewalk Surfer helped procure the \u201cexperienced\u201d skateboards, as Woodbury prefers to call them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only so many 1975 to 1985 skateboards I can have,\u201d says Woodbury, whose personal vintage bubble hockey table hangs upside-down in the game room.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Classic and unique pies are available as whole pizzas or by the slice at Night Owl. <\/p>\n

Gregory \u201cZiggy\u201d Ziegler, who was responsible for the pies that made NYPD Pizza famous, is also the creator of Night Owl\u2019s beloved pizzas, which are a key part of the restaurant\u2019s identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we want is for you to feel like you\u2019re coming into a home, a safe place,\u201d Ziegler says. \u201cAnd the food has a lot to do with that\u2026 but so does the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woodbury aims to recreate the vibe he established in Scottsdale. He talks about similarities between the locations. They are close to, but not in, the party districts of Old Town Scottsdale and Mill Avenue, and surrounded by residents who embrace being able to walk or bike to their favorite eating and drinking hubs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you build it, they will come, and they did\u2026 This (Tempe location) really reminds me of that neighborhood,\u201d Woodbury says.<\/p>\n

And he has high hopes his newest Night Owl will experience the same reception.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be your place, the \u2018Cheers\u2019 kind of thing,\u201d Woodbury says. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to be your neighborhood go-to, and that\u2019s what people want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Night Owl Pizza & Drinks<\/p>\n

2700 S. Mill Ave., Tempe<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With its trademark New York-style pies, craveable smash burgers and skateboard-meets-pinball flair, Night Owl Pizza & Drinks is…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":385560,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,97044,1589,26228,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-385559","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-openings-closings","12":"tag-phoenix","13":"tag-tempe","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-united-states-of-america","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115565947671556142","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=385559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}